Stroudsburg Borough Council jumps into school closure fray

Wednesday

Jun 4, 2014 at 8:15 AMJun 4, 2014 at 8:24 AM

CHRISTINA TATU

It appears the Stroudsburg Area School District does not have enough information to close Ramsey Elementary School, said members of the Stroudsburg Borough Council during their meeting Tuesday evening.

The council voted 6-1 Tuesday to draft a letter to the State Department of Education, alerting the department to their concerns.

Council member Joanne Kochanski made a motion to draft a letter and send it to the state. Council President Kim Diddio and members Kochanski, Matt Abell, Neil Allen, Eric Scelza and Boyd Weiss voted in favor of sending the letter.

Council member Ken Lang voted against sending it.

“I don't think we should take a position on the school district,” Lang said, calling the council's decision to send the letter “micromanagement.”

Abell disagreed.

“The resources of this community are our business. If we don't take a forward stance on this, it's going to turn around and bite us in the butt,” Abell said.

“We took a hands-off approach with the high school project,” he said, referring to the expansion and renovation of Stroudsburg High School.

In that case, the school district purchased several surrounding homes to make way for the expansion, thereby taking “a lot of properties” off the tax rolls, Abell said.

The Stroudsburg School Board narrowly voted 5-4 on May 21 to close Ramsey at the end of this school year and to close Clearview at the end of next school year.

Board members Bill Martin, Richard Pierce, Bruce Stewart, Brad Strasser and Cindy Blake voted to close the schools. John Jakobsen, Merlyn Clarke, Robert Yarnall and Judith Magann voted to keep them open.

Closing Ramsey would save about $238,000 per year.

Closing Clearview, which is in Stroud Township, is estimated to save roughly the same amount — about $250,000.

The last day for Ramsey students is June 17.

At some point, the school board will have to decide if it wants to keep or sell the building.

There are several barriers potential buyers will have to consider, including limited parking options in the area and the cost of making the old school building comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The building is also located in the borough's historic district, meaning any plans for it must be reviewed by the borough's Historic Architectural Review Board.

The advisory board makes recommendations to the borough council on building changes and new construction, making sure any are complimentary to the existing buildings within the historic district.

The council on Tuesday also unanimously approved a permit allowing parents to hold a block party on June 14 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in honor of the school.

North Sixth Street between Thomas and Scott Streets will be closed as part of the celebration.